Montpelier, VT – Lawmakers in the Green Mountain State appear to have killed a proposed fine to be imposed upon skiers and snowboarders venturing out of bounds.
Reacting to a recent spate of search and rescue efforts to locate skiers and riders who had ventured off of marked trails at Killington, the state’s largest ski resort, Vermont State Senator Kevin Mullin (R-Rutland) introduced a bill to the legislature that would fine skiers and snowboarders $500 for ducking the ropes and needing rescue. But after law enforcement officials, backcountry skiers and ski resorts all voiced their opposition to the plan, the Senate Judiciary Committee last Tuesday scrapped the idea.
‘‘If we start criminalizing what we all think is dumb, we’d have an endless avalanche of legislation,’’ said Sen. Joe Benning (R-Caledonia).
Rescue agencies in Vermont already have the capability of billing irresponsible backcountry skiers for the cost of their rescue. Those measures, however, are infrequently enforced.
Sen. Richard Sears (D-Bennington), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opted to table Mullin’s bill for a year.